Ryker
The cemetery was quiet except for the slow whisper of wind moving through the old oak branches overhead.
Grey clouds hung low across the morning sky, heavy enough to feel suffocating. I stood before River's tombstone with my fists clenched tightly at my sides while tension locked my jaw so hard my teeth ached.
River Pendragon. Beloved son and brother. Gone too soon.
It had been three fucking years, and the words carved into the stone still refused to feel real to me.
Some stupid broken part of my brain kept expecting River to come jogging down the cemetery path with that crooked grin stretched across his face while calling me dramatic for standing around a graveyard looking miserable.
I miss him. Ash's voice rumbled low in my chest, gentler than I'd heard him in months. We miss him.
My throat tightened painfully but I did not answer him. If I opened my mouth right now, I was going to break apart completely, and I could not afford that here. Not in front of the pack. Not in front of my parents.
Mom already looked like she was barely holding herself together while leaning silently against Father's shoulder. Slowly, I lowered my gaze toward the signet ring resting heavily on my finger instead.
The dull silver caught the weak morning light beneath the clouds. River gave me that ring the year we turned seventeen.
He had pressed it into my palm in this same cemetery, on Grandfather's funeral day, when I'd been pacing too hard and breathing too loud, his hand steady on my wrist.
"Anchor yourself, Ry," he murmured back then. "When the world gets too loud, hold the ring. I'll be holding mine too wherever I am."
He had been wearing his the night he died. Now I wore both. His and mine, melted and forged into one piece, sitting on my finger like a stone.
It was the only thing that kept my hands from shaking when the nightmares chased me out of sleep at three in the morning. It was the only piece of him I had left that I could touch.
I worked the ring slowly around my finger now, the smooth metal grounding me.
I'm here, brother, I thought, swallowing hard against the tightness in my throat. I'm still here. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I swear to the goddess, I'm going to make her pay for what she did to you.
I turned around to see Candace standing at the edge of the grave path in one of Deidre's cast-off dresses,her face half-hidden under makeup that wasn't enough to cover the swelling around her left eye from last night.
A bitter laugh almost escaped me. The fucking audacity. After everything she had done, she still showed up here pretending to mourn him.
I did not even realize I had taken a step toward her until Ragnor's hand brushed briefly against my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. Was he trying to protect her? I shrugged him off instantly.
She didn't see me yet. She was staring at the tombstone with fake tears in her eyes. Then Deidre slipped to her side.
I watched Didi hook her arm gently through Candace's while speaking softly near her ear like the forgiving, compassionate cousin she had always been despite everything Candace put her through.
Whatever passed between them, Candace's expression morphed into anger. I couldn't hear what she said until Deidre's voice rose, sharp with disbelief.
"What are you accusing me of?"
"No one gives a rat-ass shit about what happened years ago."
For one single second, everything around me went white.
Ash slammed violently against my ribs. NO, Ryker. Don't-
But I was already moving. Rage exploded through me so fast it drowned out every other thought in my head.
My palm cracked across Candace's face hard enough for the sound to split through the cemetery like a whip.
Gasps erupted around us instantly.
Candace stumbled backward several steps while clutching her cheek, her wide golden eyes filled with stunned disbelief.
Breathing hard, I stared at her while fury still thundered violently beneath my skin. I suddenly became aware of the heat lingering against my palm.
My stomach twisted instantly and every nerve in my body went cold. I knew what I had done was the most foolish thing ever. It was the first time I had lost my cool with her.
A horrible cold sensation spread slowly through my chest.
Fuck! What did you do? What the fuck did you just DO? Ash howled in absolute horror inside my head.
Guilt slammed into me so suddenly it almost made me step backward. That was the first time I had ever struck her. Even during our worst fights growing up, I never touched her like that.
Candace stared at me silently while tears gathered faster in her eyes. They were poured down her cheeks raw enough and wounded enough to make something ugly twist inside my chest again.
My brothers were at my side instantly. Ragnor on my left, his hand patting my shoulder once, slow, grounding. Reign stood close enough beside me that our arms nearly brushed.
"Say that again," I snarled.
Candace instinctively stepped backward, fear flashing visibly across her face. Something inside me recoiled at the sight. I crushed the feeling instantly.
Before she could move farther away, my hand shot out toward her hair. My fist tangled inside soft copper-blonde strands before yanking her roughly back toward me.
A sharp cry escaped her lips but I didn't let her go. How could she fucking say that after what she did? After the pain, the horror, the trauma, the sleepless nights she had caused me and my family?
"I dare you to fucking repeat that."
"I didn't say it," Candace gasped desperately while clawing weakly at my wrist. "I was repeating what she-"
"No, cousin."
"No, no, cousin." Deidre's whisper voice cut through the. She stepped forward, tears streaming down her face, hands pressed to her mouth.
"I was trying to stop her," she whispered shakily. "She was insulting River. She even wanted to spit on his grave."
Horror swept visibly across the gathered crowd.
"She was going to what?"
"You evil bitch!"
"How disgusting!"
My grip tightened instinctively in Candace's hair. Candace struggled weakly against me while tears streaked down her face.
She struggled weakly against me while tears streaked down her face. I had hated Candace Sinclair for three long years. Ever since the night River died. Ever since the night the world turned darker and emptier in ways I still could not explain properly.
She killed him. My River. My other half.
She had killed River. My River. My other half.
Mother had said we were like two sides of the same coin. I got all that anger, and he got all the calmness of a fucking river. He was my peace and would shadow me everywhere when we were children.
When storms scared me as kids, River climbed into my bed without saying a word even when we got older and pretended we were too tough for things like fear.
He always knew when my head got too loud.
He was the only person alive who could silence the chaos inside me just by existing nearby.
Now he was gone and this pathetic, broken girl trembling beneath my hand was the reason. But one question still haunted me every fucking night.
Why?
Why? Why would she kill River? What had River ever done to her?
What did River ever do to her? Even now, nobody had answers. Slowly, I released her hair before stepping backward abruptly.
If I stayed too close, I was going to do something else stupid.
"Oh Goddess," Lady Elena sobbed dramatically while hurrying toward us. "Why, Candy?"
She pressed one hand against her chest while tears streamed down her face.
"Even after nearly killing my son yesterday, you still came here to disrespect poor River's memory?"
Candace's face drained completely.
That's not true," she whispered hoarsely. "I swear I didn't-"
"You insisted on attending this memorial," Aunt Elena continued loudly while gesturing dramatically toward River's grave. "Why would you spit on this poor boy's memory after everything your family already did to this pack?"
Candace looked around desperately at all of us. At me. At my brothers. At the crowd.
Panic flooded her face more visibly with every second.
"Please," she begged while taking one shaky step forward. "I didn't say it. I swear to the Goddess I didn't."
"Shut the fuck up, Candace."
She flinched like I had slapped her all over again. My stomach twisted. I immediately grabbed my ring harder between my fingers, grounding myself against the cold metal.
"Why don't any of you ever believe me?" she suddenly screamed.
The cemetery fell silent instantly. Candace's entire body shook violently with sobs while tears poured down her face.
"Is it easier for all of you to keep calling me a murderer than actually listen to me?" Her breathing turned ragged. "Why do all of you hate me so much without even knowing the truth?"
For one terrible second, something inside my chest cracked painfully. Not that I believed her. But because she sounded genuinely destroyed, not manipulative.
I hardened immediately against the feeling.
Now she wanted sympathy too. Deidre moved quietly beside me before resting her hand gently against my arm.
"Sweet cousin," she sighed sadly. "How can anyone believe you after everything?"
Her lashes glistened prettily with tears while she looked up at me.
"Ryker heard exactly what you said."
The crowd's attention shifted toward me instantly including Candace's.
For one horrible second, all I saw was the twelve-year-old girl who fell from the persimmon tree while crying because she scraped her knees.
I remembered carrying her home while she clung to my neck sniffling against my shoulder. She had snuck out of her room without her lady-in-waiting. The memory hit so suddenly it made my chest ache.
I crushed it immediately. She was not that girl anymore. She was a monster. I wrapped my arm firmly around Deidre's waist instead, pulling her protectively against me.
Candace's expression crumpled slightly at the sight. Good, let it hurt.
"Yes," I spat coldly. "She said nobody cared what happened that night years ago."
Candace's face went white.
"No-"
"What?" Ragnor's voice dropped dangerously low beside me. His entire body coiled tightly like a predator preparing to strike.
Candace shook her head frantically.
"I didn't say that-"
The first stone struck her shoulder hard enough to spin her sideways,then another slammed into her forearm. The crowd erupted instantly afterward.
"Murderer!"
"Disgusting bitch!"
"You cursed demon!"
Stones flew from every direction. Candace cried out while curling inward protectively as rock after rock slammed into her body.
One struck above her ear hard enough to drive her to her knees. Blood trickled down the side of her face immediately afterward.
"Please stop!" she sobbed desperately.
She folded tighter against herself while shielding her head with trembling arms.
Ash roared violently inside me. STOP THIS.
I clenched my jaw harder, she deserved it.
Didn't she?
"Enough!" Ragnor bellowed,his voice exploded across the cemetery loudly enough for the crowd to immediately recoil backward.
His grey eyes burned with cold fury while he stared down at Candace shaking on the ground.
"This ends now," he growled.
Disgust twisted visibly across his face.
"She dishonored our brother's memory after killing him. She broke sacred law beside his grave."
He raised one hand sharply and two Pack guards immediately stepped forward.
"Seize her."
Candace scrambled backward desperately through the stones.
"No, Ragnor, please," she cried frantically. "I swear to the Moon Goddess I didn't say it. Deidre lied!"
The guards grabbed her roughly by both arms. Her screams disappeared beneath the crowd's furious shouting.
"Bind her," Ragnor ordered coldly. "Throw her in the boot."
Fear flashed across Candace's face so violently it almost made my stomach turn.
The guards dragged her backward across the cemetery path while her feet slipped
helplessly against loose gravel.
Deidre whimpered softly beside me before burying her face against my chest.
"Ssh," I murmured automatically while brushing her hair back gently. "It's okay, baby."
Ash slammed violently against my chest again but I ignored him completely. He didn't understand, he didn't lose his brother and watch himself get lost in bottles of alcohol just so he could get some sleep before the raging nightmares.
Candace must have manipulated Deidre into saying those things first. Sweet Didi would never intentionally disrespect River's memory.
The guards shoved Candace into the boot of a black vehicle waiting near the cemetery gates.
The door slammed shut heavily behind her.
Her muffled screams still echoed faintly afterward.
And deep down I knew exactly what kind of punishment waited for her now. Even hardened criminals feared what came next.